To finally land in Maputo felt surreal. Going to Africa has always been a dream that I thought would never come true. Which made me very grateful to finally be there. As I got out of the plane, the sun was hotter than back in my home country, Indonesia. But I was much too excited for the week ahead. This trip was very special. As a newbie in Oxfam, I was very happy to finally meet the food activists that we have been working with. They are women food producers, small-scale farmers, indigenous women and community leaders from Africa, Asia and South America. They are the ones who are feeding and nourishing the world, while working tirelessly to protect the soil, water and resources we need to produce food. Over 60 activists and women food producers are gathering for this Makhadzi(1) Feminist Food Convening.

About 70%-80% of the world’s food is produced by small-scale farming(2), therefore women are at the heart of the food system. While women globally represent a majority of the agricultural workforce and are custodians of food, the food heritage and culture, and making household decisions on food - the global food system is characterized by corporate capture, political failure, perverse market incentives and destructive industrial agriculture. Studies have shown that women represent upwards of 40% of the agricultural labor force globally and grow much of the food for their families and communities(3). Yet, they produce 20-30% less than men farmers because they face two compounding layers of exclusion - as smallholder farmers and as women(4). Equalizing this gap could boost agricultural output and decrease global hunger by 17%(5).